No more training wheels

Well Yuri is an official bike rider now. Even though he has only been on a bike period for about a month he has mastered it! Another boy from the neighborhood came and knocked on our door to exclaim,"Yuri knows how to ride a 2 wheeler!" Sure enough he had gotten on another boys bike and just started riding it. No help, no nothing. He didn't even fall off once. Wow!
Papa went right out and removed the training wheels from his bike and he has been off like lightening ever since and soooo proud of himself. I was sort of looking forward to teaching him how to ride it but I guess I have 2 other shots at that to come.
Victor is in no hurry to have his training wheels removed and enjoys being able to put his feet up on the handle bars and carry his light saber with him on his bike without having worry about balancing. Not sure if the light sabers were a good purchase or not but all the other boys on the street have one and they all run around with them so to avoid our going to knock on people doors to ask for one we gave in and bought them each one. So far so good; we haven't had any major altercations with them. (I know, Babushka, they could poke each others eyes out) Don't worry they have been versed on what will happen if they misuse them so they have been very careful so far.
Vanya is not that interested in bikes either and would rather ride on the back of mamas than to ride his own tricycle. It will probably be a while before we have additional 2 wheeler riders but mama is in no hurry for them to grow up so fast. They continue to be a huge blessing and we enjoy watching the progress they make along the way. Glad all of you can share it with us as well.

mama mama mama

The girls meet the boys

What a great time we had! A group of my (Laura) high school girlfriends threw a shower for the boys and brought a portion of their kids to meet them for a day of fun at our house. It was great to see all the kids play together. Us girls have been getting together each year to catch up with one another but have never brought the kids so this is the first time we have had them meet each other. We were missing our other friend, Lisa, who has twin babies boys who are almost a year old but I'm sure they would have been overwhelmed with "the group".

It was so typical that the little girls were sitting nicely playing with the bubbles and the boys were pushing each other out of and on an empty plastic bin. The video will give you an idea of what it was like here that day. I loved it though and I think the other girls did as well. The boys did great sharing their toys and they got along pretty well with everyone. With that many kids (Our 3, Karin's 2, Karen's 1, Ashley's 1, Carol's 1) we had a bit of chaos going on at all times but it was a hoot.

The boys loved being the center of attention and getting to open presents. The Thomas the Train set was a huge hit and now they play with it every day when they get home from school. In fact, we have had to buy more pieces for it so they can all have a set of engines and track etc..

I am extremely fortunate to have such a great group of friends who would come from all distances to welcome our new son's. We didn't really get a chance to talk much with each other but it was a blast watching and playing with all the kids. We would never have imagined that we would all still have little ones in our 40's but they are all just as precious as can be. The best laid plans.......

mama mama mama

Big Day for Victor

Well Victor sure had an exciting day! Not only was it the first day of school but he got a new bike (his old one broke already) and had his first soccer practice. He was soo excited about his fun day at school and when he got off the buss he saw papa behind it and ran right up to him. Upon getting close to the car he noticed that Papa had brought home a new bike for him! Woo hoo, the smile continued to grow. He really had a great time and was all hugs and kisses telling mama about his day and then after he had determined that he had shared enough information (typical male) it was off on his bike to try it out. When he learned that it was time to get ready for his soccer practice we got another squeal of happiness. He got to put on his new soccer outfit, shin guards and cleats. As you can see he was all smiles about that too. Yuri had practice also but after a long day (9:10am - 4:00pm) at school he wasn't as excited to go play soccer. As for the little one, he is just excited to do anything but hasn't gotten the hang of soccer yet. He still thinks he is a bruiser and ready for football. My little peanut has a long way to go before he can claim that title.

The evening was a little hectic and fraught with some tears from some very sleepy and worn out little boys but all in all a very successful day and probably one of Victors best!

Mama mama mama

First Day of school!

Well today was the first day of school for Yuri and Victor. They were soooo excited about going on the school bus and have talked about it for weeks. We had a fantastic morning as I got to wake them each up individually. First Yuri, then Victor, ad finally my little sleepy head Vanya. Yuri's first words as he got up out of his bed were "Yuri koolbus yes?" followed by a great big toothless smile. We went downstairs where mama had made a special pancake with strawberry eyes and nose and a whipped cream smile. That was a big hit. Then we brushed teeth and got dressed in our best school clothes, spiked our hair, and put the lunch box in the backpack and snapped a few pictures. Then it was Victors turn for the same. He is a little more difficult to wake up but you get a great big hug and he holds on tight as we go downstairs. He ate up his pancake in a flash (as usual with his cheeks full) and when he had actually finished chewing and swallowing we brushed teeth and got dressed. His favorite shirt is the one Babushka got him with the turtles on it so we made sure that was his outfit for today. I know babushka would be happy to see he likes that one best.

The best stop was full of well dressed happy little people this morning. Our bus stop has about 30 kids so we met some new neighbors as well. There were about 9 kindergartners and they get to sit in the front of the bus so our little guys got to go first. They thought that was great of course. A little anxiousness but no tears and no clingyness so I was pretty proud of them. Lots of questions about making sure they were coming home but they were excited to go. We'll see how the rest of the day goes. I'll have to add that part later. So we waved goodbye and wished them a good day. Now I must trust that the Lord will watch out for them and comfort them throughout their day.

So for now it's just me and the noochka (Vanya's nickname) They used to call him Vanuschka in Ukraine sometimes so we called him that periodically then shortened it to noochka. He is loving all the attention but has asked about his brothers several times already and they have only been gone for about an hour.

More later on the rest of the day.

They made it! They returned from school with smiles on their faces! And mama didn't receive any calls from the school the whole day. I'm hoping that trend will continue. I did miss them all day however I also enjoyed some one on one time with Vanya. I think he missed them too but was more than happy to stay with mama and wave goodbye to them this morning. We had a very calm but fun day together and were both excited when it came time to go meet the bus.

It was a very different feeling putting them on the bus. Much more calm and peaceful than I had thought it would be. The Lord must be doing a work in all of us to make that transition so smooth. They have had meltdowns over things like putting their socks on or washing their hands yet getting up, eating, and getting dressed then going on a school bus and spending the day away from home for the first time seemed to be no problem at all. Go figure. I am extremely blessed and very proud of my boys. I will still pray for the balance of the week though. You know what they say, "Trust in the Lord but lock your car".

Mama Mama Mama

Happy Birthday Travis ! Big 19

Travis came home this past weekend to celebrate his 19th Birthday and Mayra brought 10 of her friends as well. Liberty played William and Mary in football so the kids decided to come. THey didn't end up actually going to the game but it gave them a good excuse to come home. Sooo we had a house full of hungry college students. Rob smoked a brisket and we had some veggies and then of course the cake and ice cream. The girls went back that evening and Travis stayed over and went back to school on Sunday. Everyne had fun playing the boys and the boys had a blast being the center of attention. (As if that isn't the case everywhere we go) I think they think they are celebrities! Well we think they are too!

Lucky us!

We now have a copy of the boys file pictures. Hooray. They are the only pictures we will have of the youngest ones as babies and the only younger picture of Yuri as well. The pictures will certainly be cherished. The top picture is Vanya and the lower left is Victor and the lower right is Yuri.

It was pretty funny to see the look on the kids faces when I showed them their pictures. Victor and Vanya just laughed in disbelief but Yuri was quite perplexed. I'm sure he was wondering how we got a picture of them that young. He was quick to point out that the one of him was NOT when he was 5 but that he was 6. I think he was actually 5 when he entered the orphanage but maybe they didn't photograph him until later. It will be interesting to hear what he has to say when he get a little better at expressing his thought in English.

Yuri's first soccer practice

We weren't sure of the boys would take well to playing on a team and doing something independently from mama and papa but they were excited about playing soccer sooooooo....
We got Yuri and Victor new cleats and they were thrilled. I think I blogged that already.

Well Yuri was quite excited about the first day of practice and made sure the other boys knew that they were NOT going to get to play today. Of course that immediately elicited crying form and pouting from Victor as he wants to do everything that Yuri does at the same time. We explained that his practice was on a different day but that didn't seem to make a difference. Vanya just goes along and repeats what we say so he just said "OK, way to go Yuri". Didn't seem to sway him one way or the other.
Anyway, Yuri was so excited to get his cleats on and his new shin guards and such but questioned exactly where everyone would be to make sure he wasn't going to get left there. Well as soon as it got to the part where he needed to let go of mama's hand and go with the coach and the other kids the tears started falling. I knew he didn't want to cry but he just couldn't help it. He wanted me to stand in the line with him and hold his hand until it was his turn to kick the ball. Papa, of course, wanted him to suck it up and act like a big boy. We compromised and I held his hand (Yuri's, not Rob's) for the first couple of times and then I stood to the side for next few and then he was all smiles again as they started to scrimmage. He was actually pretty good and didn't get too aggressive or upset at all. He even got hit with the ball a few times and it didn't even phase him. He came over to me for the water break and then got right back on the field even before the other kids and was ready to play some more. What a kid! I told him I was really proud of him and that he did a great job and that I knew he must have been a little scared of a new experience. He gave me a big hug and then asked if we were coming again tomorrow. Hopefully the next 2 first days for Victor and Vanya will go equally as well.
Victor and Vanya played with Papa during the practice as mother hen was watching closely to make sure Yuri was OK and participating correctly with his team. I was glad papa could get home early to be there as it would have been tough to take care of the younger 2 while trying to make sure it was a good experience for Yuri as well. Thanks papa!
We took them out to dinner to chili's and then it was home for nightly bath and bed routine. Yuri wanted to make sure we put HIS soccer shirt in a special place not to be touched by the other boys. Nope, no competition at all with these guys. Ha Ha

Cool new activities

The boys are learning how to do all kinds of new activities. Here are just a few. They got giant coloring books to color in but Vanya has already been relegated to just the colored pencils. Markers were too much of a temptation to draw on everything BUT the pages. They love to use their scissors though and the tape and stapler are still an amazement as well. We have also had a cookie baking extravaganza where each one had to make a different kind and be "in charge" of pushing buttons and getting the cookies off the tray. Thanks to grandma we have found a great website called starfall that is great at teaching letters and such. All the boys like to play on that one and they can do it themselves.

All the boys will be playing sports this fall and love their new shoes. No cleats Vanya's size but he got some light up Sesame Street ones that he was just as happy with. Veecha is convinced that his cleats will make him super fast and we made a video of him going around the island in the kitchen. It was pretty funny.

The Chinese buffet was interesting as well. All the ooohs and aghhhs and big eyes over all the food was great. Other people might not have thought it was so cute but we did. I think their favorite part was sitting on the lions outside though.

We just took them on a paddle boat this past weekend and they thought that was really fun. We got stuck on a root and had to pulled by the rescue canoe staff. That was a first for us too! They boys told the rescue people "Boat broken ve go vith you". They were going to ditch us just like that! Once we explained they were going to pull us off the root and we could paddle again then they decided not to go with the canoe crew. They were asking if we were going swimming in the lake and if they could drink the water. Obviously the answer to both was no but it was interesting that that was what they were thinking. Everything was soooo cool and every bird and fish and frog had to be investigated thoroughly. It was a lot of fun.

Mama gets a weekend pass!

Woo hoo! Mama had a whole weekend to herself. Rob took the kids to Pennsylvania for the weekend. Yep, the WHOLE weekend and yep, ALL 3! What a brave soul. He knew I needed some time to myself and also to get the house back in order after the past 2 months of chaos and adjustment. We had flash cards literally strewn throughout the house and anything that had (notice that was past tense verbiage) pieces to it no longer had them all. They might be in the bathroom, refrigerator, yard, garage, pants pockets, and even in the coffee maker. We had pieces of artwork all over and puzzle pieces under the beds, in the toy box, etc etc. Well, you get the gist (is gist really a word, oh well).

Anyway, I started out the weekend having dinner with my best friend, Christine, who thought I had totally checked out of life for a while. Technically I think I did. That was great to laugh and eat and talk and laugh some more. Laughter is a great medicine and good way to come back to reality. I realized that trying to put banana in your eyelids so they will stay is really not punishable by death and crying over spilt milk (I'm talking about me crying, not the boys) is not healthy.

I got to go to a baby shower as well as attend the full church service and hear the whole sermon without having to retrieve anyone, go to the bathroom, or feed anyone a snack. I even treated myself to the churches cafe after the service and got a creamsicle smoothie! Boy, I was living high on the hog. I got to sleep by myself (love the hubby but he is definitely a sleep stealer) and didn't have to share anything with anybody. Pretty Christ-like, don't you think! Just kidding. I got to spend some time with the Lord and He just filled me back up to keep on keeping on and gave me the wisdom and strength do some things differently and hold my ground on others. Can't imagine doing this without His help.

I missed my little guys hugs and kisses and their little voices on the phone just weren't the same. I did get a chance to catch up on the bills, relax a little, do some much needed paperwork and clean and start to go through the mountain of donated things we have received and put them in a little better order.

The hugs and smiles upon their return was priceless. They had a great time at Grandma and Pappy's house but were ready to be home and get a hug and kiss from mama. Gotta love those big "I missed you" hugs. Cures just about everything.

Rejuvenated and ready to tackle this weeks challenges and joys,

mama mama mama